Harrison, rotation remain on a roll

Despite a recent rash of injuries in the rotation, the Rangers seem to have everything fixed and are once again rolling right along.

Matt Harrison, Mike Adams and Joe Nathan combined on a six-hitter in a 1-0 win over Arizona on Wednesday. The Rangers have won four of their last five games and have three shutouts in that stretch. They allowed one run in the other victory.

In the five-game stretch, the Rangers have allowed a total of two runs through the first five innings.

Harrison carried the Rangers for much of the early summer last year, and he looks as if he is capable of doing the same this year. The Rangers have won his last five starts. He's won four consecutive decisions, and he hasn't allowed a run in his last two starts, totaling 16 1/3 innings. In the five-start stretch that started May 22, he's compiled a 1.42 ERA while allowing just one homer. Batters are hitting .217 against him.

Last year, starting on the same exact date, Harrison had an almost identical five-start run, in which he compiled a 1.47 ERA, allowing one homer and a .236 batting average despite battling a bruised midsection and a kidney stone. The only difference is the team went just 3-2 in those five games.

In both of the last two seasons, Harrison has started out quite hot, hit a lull in late April-early May and then had to tinker with his delivery and tempo to get out of the funk. A year ago, he was the Rangers' best starter through July but seemed to tire in August. This year, he feels he will have the ability to better fight through summer fatigue having been through it once.

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MLB Team Report - Texas Rangers - NOTES, QUOTES

--OF Craig Gentry continued his torrid June with a two-out single in the eighth inning Wednesday to drive home the only run in the Rangers' 1-0 win over Arizona. Gentry is batting .500 (11-for-22) in eight games during the month of June. He's also either been hit by a pitch or walked a total of three times to up his June on-base percentage to .560.

--RHP Joe Nathan's shutout streak will reach a full month Thursday. He pitched a scoreless ninth Wednesday to pick up his 13th save of the season. During the 30-day stretch, Nathan has allowed five hits and no walks in 12 innings while striking out 16. He struck out a pair Wednesday. If Nathan converts his next save opportunity, he'll move to 89.286 percent for his career, ahead of Mariano Rivera (89.280 percent) for the best all-time rate among pitchers with at least 250 saves.

--The win over Arizona on Wednesday improved the Rangers' interleague record this season to 6-2, even though six of the eight games have been on the road. The Rangers are now 59-39 in interleague play since manager Ron Washington took over the club before the 2007 season. The Rangers are now tied with the Chicago White Sox at .602 for the fifth-best interleague winning percentage in that six-year period.

--RF Nelson Cruz was out for a second consecutive day due to a stomach virus, so INF Brandon Snyder started in right field. It was Snyder's second career start in the outfield, his first in right. Snyder went 1-for-2 for one of the Rangers' three hits, but he was replaced late in the game by Cruz.

--According to a survey of major-leaguers, Rangers DH/INF Michael Young is considered the most underrated player in the majors by his peers. Men's Journal magazine spoke to 100 players for the survey. Young received 15 votes. Cleveland's Shin-Soo Choo was second with nine.

BY THE NUMBERS: 7 -- Times the Rangers have won 1-0 games at Rangers Ballpark since the stadium opened in 1994. Two of them have come this season. The Rangers had not had two 1-0 wins at home in the same season since the park opened.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "He's a great baseball player, and I don't think he gets enough credit. He's a true professional and a great teammate. Everything he does in the game of baseball is pretty awesome." -- C Mike Napoli, agreeing that teammate Michael Young is the "Most Underrated Player" in the game, which is the label Men's Journal gave Young after surveying 100 big-leaguers.

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MLB Team Report - Texas Rangers - ROSTER REPORT

MEDICAL WATCH:

--RF Nelson Cruz (illness) did not play June 12, and he appeared as a reserve June 13. He missed the June 10 game due to a sore Achilles tendon.

--RHP Alexi Ogando (strained right groin) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to June 11. He is likely out until after the All-Star break.

--LHP Derek Holland (left shoulder fatigue) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to June 6. He had been battling a stomach virus that had caused him to lose 15 pounds.

--RHP Neftali Feliz (sprained ulnar collateral ligament in right elbow) went on the 15-day disabled list May 21. He will be prohibited from doing any throwing until at least late June before being re-evaluated by team physician Keith Meister. It's unlikely Feliz will return before mid-July.